Not building the CRV (X-38) was a BIG mistake.<br /><br /> />>To think that the ISS is going to achieve anything that is much in the way of an improvement over MIR, Spacelab, Skylab, or unmanned robotic satellites (now with telepresence) is absurd in the utmost extreme.<<<br /><br />Not really true. Skylab's solar telescope array was fantastic, but it's accomplishments have been eclipsed (no pun intended) by SOHO and other spacecraft. Mir bettered Skylab's achievements early on, and ISS already outmasses Mir, carries far more scientific equipment and has done more man hours of science in the 5 years it has been manned than Mir did in it's first 5 years. HOWEVER, if its construction hadn't been interrupted and if ISS had been allowed to expand beyond a crew of 3 it's scientific achievements would eclipse Mir and all the Shuttle Spacelab flights put together in just 2 years of fully crewed and funded operations. But guess what?: Science for ISS is being cut and it may never be fully assembled now, as originally envisioned. It may not get a chance to "strut it's stuff" science-wise, until perhaps private industry vessels, including Bigelow inflatables, get off the drawing board and into space. And, when such modules get filled with science racks and T-Space, Kliper and CEV regularly get up and down, you'll see some progress worthy of a really big facility in low Earth orbit.<br /><br />Like I said on this forum recently: If you wanted to rack up some serious man-tended science hours in space with or without ISS, it would have been good these last few years if there had been 3 or more extended duration 28-day Shuttle double-Spacehab or Spacelab flights per year. Doing science 24 hours a day, seven days a week for nearly a month would take up a heck of a lot of research slack during ISS construction. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p>One Percent of Federal Funding For Space: America <strong><em><u>CAN</u></em></strong> Afford it!! LEO is a <strong><em>Prison</em></strong> -- It's time for a <em><strong>JAILBREAK</strong></em>!!</p> </div>